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The Museum

The Museum is a 10-part BBC documentary series narrated by Ian McMillan that goes behind the scenes at the British Museum. It will cover a year in the life of one of the world's great museums containing some remarkable collections of Egyptian, Roman and Greek treasures, including the Mummy of the priest Nesperennub, the Rosetta Stone and the famous sculptures of Parthenon known as the Elgin Marbles. Looking after these great collections are some 800 people from scholars and archaeologists to conservators and exhibition specialists. Between them they must look after the collections, devise and plan the great shows, and manage a flow of 4.5 million visitors a year.

Episode 01 Episode 02 Episode 03 Episode 04 Episode 06

Episode 07 Episode 08 Episode 09 Episode 10

Episode 01 - Taking Care of the Past
A curious breed of experts cares for some of the British Museum's most important and fragile treasures; they are the conservators.

Episode 02 - Bodies of Knowledge
This episode is about the stories behind some of the 8,000 human remains in the Museum's collection, including the Lindow Man and mummies.

Episode 03 - The BM Goes East
The Museum wants to bring some of China's Terracotta Army to London, but will they get the warriors they want, and how much will it all cost?

Episode 04 - Bursting at the Seams
This episode tracks how the British Museum is constantly being fixed, restored and upgraded to keep it up to the mark.

Episode 05 - Putting on a Blockbuster
A collection of 90 drawings by Michelangelo are being brought together in one place for the first time since they left the artist's studio over 400 years ago.

Episode 06 - Shopping for Posterity
This episode looks at how the Museum uses limited funds to acquire new objects to complement the existing collections.

Episode 07 - Curators of the Here and Now
The Museum wants to inspire people who don't usually visit the collections. This episode features curators developing and fulfilling cutting edge projects.

Episode 08 - Old Pots and Puzzles
An insight into the constant research taking place across the Museum and how to unravel the mysteries of the past.

Episode 09 - Things Aren't What They Seem
The episode features the painstaking creation of a replica of the head of Amenhotep III and a replica Rosetta Stone.

Episode 10 - Beyond Bloomsbury
In the British Museum's Great Court a spectacular 18 foot image of the Hindu goddess Durga is being crafted from straw, clay and paint.